The Hanged Man XII in the 5-Card Spread with the Rider Waite Tarot

The Hanged Man as second card : Challenge / Obstacle
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

When it appears in opposition, The Hanged Man indicates difficulty in letting go, accepting waiting, or changing one’s perspective on a situation.

The consultant may feel trapped in a pattern, stuck in a process where they feel they no longer have any control.

It can also indicate a refusal to let go of a belief, a role or a relationship that no longer suits them, but which they continue to maintain despite the evidence.

This card can show an attachment to a sacrificial attitude: giving too much, forgetting oneself, effacing oneself in the hope that this will restore balance or love.

Conversely, the Hanged Man in opposition can also reveal a form of stubbornness: refusing to see things differently, remaining fixed in a rigid view of reality. There may be discomfort with the idea of waiting, a need for control that conflicts with the invitation to be patient.

The consultant may also be experiencing psychological, emotional or even material paralysis, where no options seem possible.

This opposition calls into question the way in which we experience powerlessness: is it something we suffer or something we perpetuate? Is it a real dead end, or an opportunity to redefine our view of things? The card invites us to give up futile struggles and enter into a form of wisdom based on ‘non-action’, simplicity and receptivity.

The Hanged Man as third card : Advice
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In an advisory position, The Hanged Man invites you to stop trying to control the situation and surrender to the process at hand. He tells you that it may be time to take a break, let things evolve at their own pace, and above all, not to force a response or a result.

This card suggests that you take a step back and change your perspective: what you perceive as a dead end may in fact be a necessary step towards deeper liberation.

The Hanged Man also encourages you to embrace the discomfort of the moment, not as a punishment, but as a rite of passage. It is sometimes necessary to lose a certain comfort or illusion of control in order to access a broader level of consciousness.

The card advises you to connect with your intuition, to observe rather than act, and to cultivate patience and listening.

It is also an invitation to ask yourself this essential question: what am I willing to give up in order to be at peace with myself? It may be an attachment, an expectation, a need for recognition…

The Hanged Man here shows you that freely given sacrifice is often a necessary step towards awakening, clarity or deeper peace. Let go of control. Allow life to turn you around so you can see what it really wants to show you.

The Hanged Man as fourth card : Outcome
in the Rider Waite Smith 5-Card spread

In the outcome position, The Hanged Man indicates that the situation will not be resolved immediately, but that it will lead to a fundamental change in perception. The outcome is not in action, but in inner transformation: an awareness, a shift in perspective, a form of liberation that comes through stripping away the excess.

This is not a card of external success or rapid movement, but it heralds a new understanding, a subtle awakening, a form of deep acceptance.

This may mean that the consultant will find inner peace where they were looking for a concrete solution, or that they will attain a greater truth than they had hoped for.

It is also possible that a situation will become clearer because we have finally stopped wanting it to be different.

This card can also symbolise a moment when we choose to voluntarily suspend something: a postponed decision, a delayed change, a relationship put on hold… but for good reasons.

The result is therefore an evolution, but not a spectacular one — it happens quietly, slowly and deeply. It is an inner victory, a sense of calm, a clarity gained through renunciation.